EU must ensure effective regulation
On 11 October, the EP's transport committee approved the 'Recast of the First Railwa Package'. As I lay out in my press release, this decision paves the way for stringent regulation in the EU.
What does Michael Cramer do?
My name is Michael Cramer and since 1979 I enjoy living without a car
After 15 years in the Berlin city-state parliament I was elected member of the European Parliament in 2004 to bring a Green input into the transport policy of Europe.
My daily work for the Committee of Transport and Tourism in the European Parliament shows me: without a change in transport policy, we will never be aible to stop climate change! Transport is still the most rapidly growing source when it comes to CO2 emissions. It is responsible for around 30% of all CO2 emissions in the EU, road and air transport having the biggest part in it.
Improving technology only can not be the answer. We need a new "soft mobility" concept. That means changing radically our mobility behaviour and avoid as much as possible the use of climate damaging transport modes.
Onesided subsidies for road and air transport should be stopped, the train as a competitive alternative should be enhanced. A single European rail market is the goal.
European transport policy should support above all Europe´s unification after the fall of the Iron Curtain, to connect East and West. Nevertheless ecological and social criteria must be respected.
I invite you to read more about the projects "Iron Curtain Trail" and "Berlin Wall Trail". Both are cycling trails along the former border lines in Berlin and Europe to discover former European division by a sustainable mode of transport. Alongside beautiful landscapes and historically interesting monuments, visitors explore Europe´s past and enjoy its re-unification.
Enjoy reading more about my projects on this website!
Yours sincerely,
